Containers for mastic materials and to means for mixing the contents thereof



July 10, 1962 F. e. HOWARD CONTAINERS FOR MASTIC MATERIALS AND TO MEANSFOR MIXING THE CONTENTS THEREOF Filed Aug. 15, 1959 u Fra/ar r. K GorJaa%u-r-J I Attorneys m [N I/ tinned States Patent CONTAINERS FOR MASTICMATERIALS AND TO MEANS FOR MIXING THE CONTENTS THEREOF Frederick GordonHoward, Ormskirk, England,

assignor to Sealanco Limited Filed Aug. 13, 1959, Ser. No. 833,458Claims. (Cl. 206-47) This invention relates broadly to containers formaterials that must be mixed together when they are to be used but mustnot be mixed prematurely, and to methods of mixing such materials.

It is sometimes necessary to charge a container with a material withwhich a second material must be mixed before use, but which should notcome into contact with the second material until just before use.Examples of such materials are an expoxide resin and an amine catalystor activator for it, and a Thio-kol compound and a peroxide activatorfor it.

Commonly the two materials are sent to the place of use in separatecontainers, and are removed from the containers and mixed together whenrequired.

Particularly when the first material is a caulking compound, e.g. aThiokol compound, it is very convenient to market it in a cylindricalcartridge which can be put in an extrusion gun. This can be done if thesecond material, e.g. the activator for the Thiokol compound, is put inan inner rupturable tube, and this inner tube is destroyed in situ by abladed device also put in the outer container and operated from outsidewhen the materials are to be mixed. The bladed device mixes thematerials as Well as rupturing the tube, but it leaves the tube in theouter container or cartridge. This tube or fragments of it often hinderthe extrusion of the mixed materials from the cartridge, or somefragments may be extruded with the mixed materials. Moreover thepresence of the bladed device in the cartridge prevents the cartridgefrom being completely emptied.

An object of the invention is to provide a container for one materialwith an inner tube for a second material such that the two materials canbe readily mixed.

Another object is to provide a noveland useful method of mixing twomaterials.

According to this invention the advantages of storing the secondmaterial in a tube in a cartridge or other elongated container of thefirst material are retained without the disadvantages set forth above.Broadly this is done by making a small opening in one end of thecontainer, causing an unfilled neck of the tube to project through thisopening and so closing the inner end of the tube as to render it easilyopenable, so that on pulling the projecting end of the tube pressure isexerted on the contents, the inner end is opened and the tube is removedthrough the opening while its contents are discharged into the materialwithin the container.

The tube should extend over the whole length of the container so thatits contents, which of course remain substantially unchanged in positionas the tube is pulled out, will be uniformly distributed throughout thelength of the container.

The tube may be of nylon or other plastic, and of course the 'Whole ofits contents lie inside the container. Its projecting neck may bedoubled on itself to form a loop by which it may be gripped, or a ringor device which may easily be gripped may be secured to the projectingneck. Again the tube may be closed immediately inside the end of thecontainer, and the projecting neck may be formed by a tab secured to thetube and passing through the small opening. This opening may in any caseadvantageously be a slit.

The inner end of the tube may be closed by being doubled on itself; orby a thin tape or adhesive; or if ice the container is a cartridge witha piston-like base through which pressure for extrusion is applied, bytrapping the end of the tube between the base and the cartridge.

The preferred form of container for a Thiokol compound and the method ofmixing its contents will now be described by Way of example withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section through the container;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the container;

FIG. 3 is a similar section taken during the removal of the tube; I

FIG. 4 shows the mixing of the materials after the removal of the tube;and

FIG. 5 shows the container ready for insertion in an extrusion gun.

The container shown generally at 10 comprises a cylindrical cartridge ofstrong cardboard lined with foil. One end of the container is closed bya cap 12 which makes a tight fit on the outside of the container andwhich has a slit 13 in it. The other end of the container is closed by apiston-like base 17 with a flange 16'.

In initially charging the container a tube 14 open at both ends andformed by cutting an appropriate length from a continuous extruded tubeof nylon is filled with an activator 6 for a Thiokol compound and put inthe container 10. The charge of activator does not extend quite toeither end of the tube, and the lower end of the tube is flattened andtrapped between the flange 16 and the wall of the container 10. Next thecontainer 10 is charged with the Thiokol compound as shown at 7 so thatthe filled tube 14 lies wholly embedded within this compound. The cap 12is now put in position and the unfilled outer end of the tube 14 ispassed through the slit 13 and doubled on itself, being stapled by astaple 5 to form a loop 18. The charged container can now be storedindefinitely without danger of the activator coming into contact Withthe Thiokol compound.

When the container is to be used the loop 18 is gripped and pulled whilethe cap 12 is manually held in position if it tends to pull off thecontainer. The result is that the filled part of the tube 14 comes intocontact with the inner surface of the cap 12 and pressure is exerted onthe activator in the tube. At the same time the trapped inner end of thetube is pulled out from the nip between the container and the flange 16and as the tube continues to be pulled out the contents are discharged,being left behind in the Thiokol compound, as shown at 15 in FIGURE 3.

When the tube has been completely removed the next step is to mix theactivator and the Thiokol compound. First the cap 12 is removed, and thewhole container is put in a stand 30. This stand consists of a metaltube 24 integral with a fiat base 26. The mixing is done by means of amixing device 32 comprising a rod 20 and i a bladed disc 21. The rod 20is passed through a metal cap 25 which has internal helical flights 33that engage beneath external complementary flights 35 on the tube 24.The cap 25 also includes a sleeve 31 which forms a bearing and guide forthe rod 20. The cap is put in position so that the blade 21 makescontact with the top of the Thiokol compound inside the cartridge 10,and then is turned to engage the flights. The outer end of the rod 20 isengaged in a chuck of a manually or electrically operated brace 34 andon turning the brace and applying pressure as usual, the bladed disc 21is both turned and advanced through the contents of the cartridge 10,thoroughly mixing them. When the mixing is complete the mixer isWithdrawn by rotation and axial movement in the opposite direction.Thereupon the cap 25 is unscrewed and removed together with the mixingdevice 32.

During the mixing it is desirable not to rotate the disc 21 at a speed.greater than 500 r.p.m., since otherwise the heat generated might causethe Thiokol compound to cure prematurely.

The operator can conveniently put both feet on the flat base 26 of thestand during the mixing and thus prevent the stand from turning. Thedimensions of the stand and of the cartridge 10 may conveniently be suchthat the cap 25 grips the end of the cartridge frictionally and firmlyto prevent the cartridge turning Within the stand during the mixing.

Finally a third cap 27 having a nozzle 36 is put over the end of thecartridge 10 and the latter is then ready for insertion in an extrusiongun by Which stepwise pressure can be exerted on the base 17 to forcethe contents out through the nozzle 36.

I claim:

1. A package comprising a closed container charged with a viscousmaterial to be mixed with a second material before use and having asmall opening in-one end and a deformable tube of substantially uniformcrosssection containing the second material and housed in the containerand extending substantially through the entire length of the container,the tube being closed but readily openable at its inner end and havingan unfilled extension projecting through said opening substantiallyfilling and closing said opening, said opening having a crosssectionmaterially less than that of the filled portion of the tube Within thecontainer, whereby on pulling the projecting extension of the tubepressure is exerted on the contents, the inner end is opened and thetube is removed through the opening While its contents are dischargedsubstantially uniformly into the material throughout its entire lengthwithin the container.

2 A package according to claim 1 in which the extension is formed by aflattened and unfilled end of the tube.

3. A package according to claim 1 in Which said container is providedwith a removable base to close the end of the container opposite the endcontaining the small opening and the closed inner end of the tube istrapped between the Wall of the container and the removable base.

4. A package according to claim 1 in which said container has aremovable cap and said opening is a slit in such cap.

5. A method of mixing a viscous material with a second materialcomprising charging a deformable tube of substantially uniformcross-section with the second material, inserting the filled tube in acontainer for the viscous material with the inner end of the tube closedbut readily openable so as to extend substantially through the entirelength of the container, filling the remainder of the container with theviscous material, passing an unfilled neck of the tube through a smallopening in a cap, said opening having a cross-section materially lessthan that of the filled portion of the tube, closing the container bythe cap, pulling out the tube through the opening While leaving thematerial charged therein distributed uniformly substantially throughoutthe entire length of the container in the container, and mixing the twomaterials Within the container.

ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

